19/09/2016 - The filmmaker, who has been awarded at Venice and Cannes, will assemble a cast including Eriq Ebouaney, Sandrine Bonnaire and Bibi Tanga; production is entrusted to Pili Films and sales to MK2

Director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun

Having just recently served as a member of the jury for the Platform competition at the Toronto Film Festival, Mahamat-Saleh Haroun will get started with the shoot for his seventh feature film, Une saison en France [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
film profile], in the Paris region on 7 November. The filmmaker rose to fame at Venice in 1999 with the documentary Bye Bye Africa (Best Debut Feature Award Special Mention); he then made Our Father (2002 Cannes Directors’ Fortnight), Daratt – Dry Season [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Special Jury Prize at Venice in 2006), A Screaming Man [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Jury Prize at Cannes in 2010), Grigris [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (unveiled in competition on the Croisette in 2013) and the documentary Hissein Habré, A Chadian Tragedy [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (presented last May as a special screening in the Cannes official selection). The cast of his new opus includes Eriq Ebouaney (Lumumba, Kingdom of Heaven, The Horde [+see also:
trailer
film profile], in theatres from 2 November in Le gang des Antillais), Sandrine Bonnaire (Volpi Cup at Venice in 1995, César for Best Actress in 1986, and nominated in 1988, 1990, 1995, 1996 and 2000; popular last month at Locarno in Heaven Will Wait [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]) and singer Bibi Tanga.

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Written by the director, the story revolves around Abbas, a high-school teacher who fled the war in the Central African Republic with his 12-year-old son and eight-year-old daughter. They now live in France, where Abbas has requested political asylum. But after two years of waiting, his application is turned down. He is forced to leave the country with his children, for yet another migration season...

Produced by Florence Stern for Paris-based outfit Pili Films (which partners up regularly with the filmmaker), Une saison en France is being co-produced by Arte France Cinéma. Having also been pre-purchased by Canal+, Ciné+ and TV5 Monde, the movie will be shot from 7 November-23 December. The French distribution will be handled by Ad Vitam, and the international sales are managed by MK2.

(Translated from French)